I can tell you as someone who grew up landlocked and only in adulthood moved to the Pacific Northwest, seeing orcas in their natural habitat is moving and unlike anything you can imagine. I have watched pods swim by 50 feet from shore. They live in groups for 30+ years. The last time I got a chance to see the J Pod (one that hangs out in Puget Sound and nearby waters quite a bit) they had a baby swimming with them. It probably goes without saying that I am adamantly against Sea World, where these magnificent creatures, who were taken from their families when young, live out their lives isolated, in tiny tanks, forced to perform for humans.

So, here's the AMA if you want to hear what these former trainers have to say.